Construction of towers or bridges



(No Moda.) 2 sheets-sheen 1. F. MELBER.

GONSTRUGTION 0I' TOWERS l0R BRIDGES. No. 423,067. Patented Mar. 11 1890.

N. Prrzns Phmumagnphef, wmingmn, n.c.

(No Mmm.) 2 shens-sheet 2,

F. MELBER. GONSTRUGTION 0F TOWERS 0R BRIDGES.

- No. 423,067. Patented Mar. l, 1890.,

UNITED- i STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK MELBER, OF ROSS, ALLEGIIENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONSTRUCTION OF TOWERS OR BRIDGES..

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent N0. 423,067, dated March11, 1890.

Application led November l1, 1889. Serial No. 329,913. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it knownrthat I, FREDERICK MELBER, a citizen of the United States,residing in Ross township, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in theConstruction of Towers and Bridges, whether the vsame be singlestructures for purposes of observation, for signal, meteorological, orlight towers, or parts of other structures, such as bridges, viaducts,dac.; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in whioh- Figure lis an elevation of a single shaft or hightower embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of said tower. Fig.3 is an elevation of a bridge, the part between the towers thereofconstructed in accordance with my invention.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

The object of the present invention is to secure such a construction ofhigh towers, used for observation, m eteorological purposes, andelectric lighting, or for bridge or viaduct structures,.as shall insurethe maximum of strength and safety combined with the mini? mum of costand labor in erecting the same.

To this end my invention, generally stated, consists, iirst, in socombining a series of guys or tensionnrods with a tower, bridge, or likestructure as to divide the same into a series of sections, each of whichsections is tied down so as to independently resist the force of thewind or equivalent strains; and, second, in combining with the guys ortensionrods which directly brace the tower or bridge a second series ofguys, which tie downor ix the tensiompoints of the iirst set of guys,

wherebyT but a limited or proportionately small base is required for thetower or similar l structurea There are other minor points of -noveltywhich relate especially to the arrangement of the guys, where only alimited spread of the guys is permissible,

In a tower as at present commonly con structed the whole or an extendedportion of the structure has to resist the force of the wind, which itdoes by deflection or bending, and this consequently requires greatsolidity of structure and a broad base or foundation proportionate tothe height of the tower, and where guys or tension-rods are used tobrace such structures a greatly-increased groundspace is required forthe spread of the guys as they are now commonly applied and secured.

I will now proceed to describe my invention more specifically, so thatothers may apply the same.

The crosssectional form of the tower or its general construction isimmaterial, and, as it forms no part of the present invention, may be inaccordance ,with the views of the constructor or the requirements of itsuse or position.

Forpurposes of illustration only, I have chosen a triangular form as oneof the best to obtain lightness and strength with limited material andlabor.

In the drawings, A indicates the foundation-base of the tower, and B Cthe shaft,

which will be of any required height. The shaft B O, which is usually askeleton shaft, is commonly constructed in sections and of iron or steelcolumns, struts, and rods of sufiicient strength and solidity to sustainthe crushing weight of the proposed height of tower, properly connectedand trussed in ways well known to those skilled in the art, and, ifdesired, may be provided in its length and at suitable distances aboveits base with covered platforms, as indicated at D and E. For a certainheight above the base the tower may be self-sustaining and capable ofresist ing wind force, and this height will be meas urably determined bythe cross-section of the tower and its base or foundation. From such apoint on the tower (indicated in the drawings by a) I drop or extendmain guys or tension-rods l, preferably wire cables, anchoring the sameat a suitable distance from the base of the tower. The tower above saidpoint a is divided up into sections in number proportionate to itsheight, as indicated by b c d e f, dac., and from each of said pointsguys or tension-rods 2 3 e 5 6, dre., are dropped or carried down andsecured to the main guys 1, as at the points 2b 3 if 5", dac., by whicharrangement of guys or tension-rods it will be noted that the tower isdivided up into sec-l tions without extending the anchorage of the IOOguys beyond the restricted limit required by the irst series of guys l.In order to iiX the points 2", 3c, 4d, and 5e in place, a third set orseries of guys G or ground-lines may be dropped from said points 2b,dac., and anchored at any suitable point between the anchor of main guyl and the foundation, but preferably are carried to and anchored on thefoundation, as shown in the drawings.

Where it may be deemed desirable to apply sectional support to the towerbelow the point a or attachment of the main guys l I accomplish this bymeans of a series of guys runningfrom the shaft B C to suitable anchors,and also by guys running from the shaft to the main guy l. In order toavoid confusion, the two sets of guys last named havebeen shown indotted lines in Fig. l. They correspond with the guys o o in Fig. 3 orthe bridge ligure of the drawings.

H Il indicate guys which connect the several main guys l, and which holdthe system of guys against torsion.

Theadvantages of the combination, with a' tower, of the system of guysor tension-rods hereinbefore specified are, first, that the toweropposes independently-supported sections to thewind force, which lessensthe strain on the structure as a whole and obviates the usual bending,deflection,or vibration of the tower, and the wind force will produceonly direct tension on the guys and compression inthe shaft; second, buta small or limited base is needed for very high towers, the spacedecreasing proportionately to the increase of the points of hold on theshaft within reasonable v limitations; third, the points of anchorage ofthe guys may be chosen anywhere, and as a rule the rise of the main guys1 may be very steep, as indicated, so that a tower three thousand feetin height will only require about twenty square feet of surface for itserection -at points of anchorage of line l.

The system of guys hereinbefore pointed out is equally applicable tobridges, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, wherein the roadway ofthe bridge corresponds to the tower, and the system of guys l 2 3, rbc.,is disposed with relation to the roadway of the bridge the same as theyare disposed with relation to the tower in Fig. I. In bridge structuresI also prefer to add guys K, extending from the tops' of thebridge-piers (which in bridges are in reality the anchorage of guys l)to the abutments M of the bridge. The towers of the bridge may also besupported by the same system of guys shown in Fig. l; but this has notbeen shown on the drawings, because it can be readily understood by aneX- amination of Figs. 1 and 2, and to add said guys to Fig. 3 wouldtend to confuse the drawings. As hereinbefore stated, the system of guysis the same and operates in like manner, whether it be applied to thevertical tower shown in Fig. l or to the horizontal roadway andwind-bracing of the bridge shown in Fig. 8; and as the invention,broadly considered, consists in a system of guys for sustainingstructures, I wish it distinctly understood that wherever in the claimshereinafter made the word tower is used it is intended to cover theroadway of a bridge as its equivalent element or structure.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to securebyLetters Patent, is-

l. The combinati-on,with a tower, of a set'of main guys properlyanchored, and one or more sets of secondary guys attached to the shaftabove the main guys and anchored on or connected with the main guys,substantially as and for the purposes specied.

2. The combination,with a tower, of a set of main guys properlyanchored, one or more sets of secondary guys attached to the shaft abovethe main guys and to the main guys, and a third set of guys attached tothe main guys and anchored to the foundation or lat points between thefoundation and anchors of the main guys, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

3. The combination,with a tower, of a set of main guys, a set of crossguys or cables which connect the main guys and the tower, and a seriesor set of ground-guys arranged between the foundation of the tower andanchors of the main guys, and which are connected with the main guys,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses,this 21st day of October, 1889.

FREDERICK MELBER. Witnesses:

SAML. DrnscHnR, ARTHUR L. DIXON.

IOO

